THE SIXTH PLAGUE.

66

THE sixth plague was not to be of the same sudden nature as the former ones. Like the consumption of the Papacy preparatory to its sudden destruction, Mohammedanism is to be gradually consumed :-" And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared" (Rev. xvi. 12).

In the Old Testament the Euphrates symbolised the Assyrian power, under which title was included Babylon and Persia. The mystic Babylon is "Babylon the great; so the mystic Euphrates is "the great river Euphrates" -i.e., the analogous power in our times, viz., Mohammedanism, which established its principal seat of empire on the Tigris and the Euphrates. This power was to be gradually dried up. How remarkably this has been fulfilled in our own day! Delhi, Teheran, Constantinople, Cairo, Algiers, Morocco, are now either extinguished or effete. Greece is altogether delivered. The Danubian Principalities are only nominally suzerainties. Russia has swallowed up whole provinces of the Turkish and Persian dominions. At this moment she rules in Samaracand and Bokhara. England has extinguished Mohammedan power in India. Drying up is a most graphic figure of waning Mohammedan power.

The purpose of all this is, "that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared." Various conjectures have been hazarded as to who these are. A little atten

tion to the last condition of Nebuchadnezzar's image and of Daniel's vision of the four beasts would remove the difficulty. The last condition of the image is to be two feet with five toes on each foot. The two feet are Rome and Constantinople. The five toes around Rome are Germany, England, France, Spain, Italy. There must also be five kingdoms around Constantinople. These are the kings of the East-i.e., the Eastern kingdoms. Now we learn from Daniel vii. 12, that the first three beasts were to be found existing at the end distinct from the fourth. All of them had their capital in Babylon, and were substantially the same geographically. Their representatives are declared in. Daniel viii. 23, to be the four horns of Alexander's empire. These with Austria make the five Eastern kingdoms. We may therefore soon expect a new political arrangement, in which we shall have-1. Austria; 2. Greece; 3. Turkey in Asia, including Syria; 4. Persia; 5. Egypt. In all this there is no clear declaration about Constantinople. It was, however, so long identified with the Greek empire that it is possible it may form part of the Greek kingdom. In the confused state of that corner of Europe, one could not form any definite conjecture. Events will very soon make all clear.

THE THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS.

THE GATHERING TO ARMAGEDDON.

ANOTHER Vision is interposed between the sixth and the seventh vial. It is of preparatory work, making all ready for the final contest at Jerusalem :-" And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Rev. xiv. 13-16.)

Preparatory to the outpouring of the seventh vial, and to the last scenes of the times of the Gentiles, a vision is given of the larger liberty given to wicked spirits as a just judgment upon those who received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Demoniac possession appears to have been more extensive in our Lord's days than in any previous or subsequent age. Judas was possessed by Satan himself. An analogous fact is here revealed. "Spirits of demons working wonders" are permitted to go forth to the kings of the [Roman] earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

They come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet―i.e., the influence of those wicked spirits animates the words of these three direct spiritual wickedness from the devil, wicked principles asserted by the secular power, and devilish doctrines from the Papacy. We see their working already; we shall soon see it in awful clearness. The literature of the day is filled with false principles, its politics are more and more departing from truth, and the Papal blasphemies are more boldly asserted. How little do worldly-minded boasters suspect whose agents they are!

Spirits cannot be seen by men. It requires to have the eye "opened" in order to see them (Num. xxii. 31; 2 Kings vi. 17). Hence it is that worldly men are not at all aware of the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. When men of science ignore the testimony of Scripture, when systems of morals are advocated which are contrary to Scripture teaching, when doubts are cast upon the truth of Scripture history, when the divine authority of government is scoffed at, when profane intrusions into the spirit world are attempted, how little men suspect that their words are really the voices of unclean spirits. In more directly religious matters, the lessening of the guilt of sin, the misapplication of the benevolence of God, so as to deny His awful hatred of sin, the Mariolatry and pretended infallibility of Popery, are all from the same wicked spirits.

They are described as "unclean spirits like frogs."

They are so in three particulars :—

1. They come from the marshy places of earth. 2. They are inflated.

3. They are croakers.

Now-a-days inspiration is lowered down to human genius, by those who speak great swelling words of vanity (2 Peter ii. 18), only to allure through the lusts of the flesh, and through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them that live in error. They promise liberty, and yet themselves are the servants of corruption. St Jude also describes them as "murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouth speaking great swelling words."

Such is the awful state of things which is now spreading through society.

One note of time is given in the changed title of the Pope. This is the first place where he is called the false prophet. We know, by comparing chap. xix. 20 with this place, that the lamb-horned beast of the 13th chapter is this false prophet. When the Pope lost his temporal sovereignty he ceased to be a beast, and this is here noted by calling him the false prophet. His frog-like character of inflation will be the destruction of the Latin Empire (Dan. vii. 11).

In the midst of these predictions is the warning to the Lord's people:-"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." It is an awfully important question whether a really converted child of God may so walk as to forfeit the privilege of being