to be consumed by the Spirit of His Word, but not to be destroyed until the brightness of His coming. The full outpouring of His wrath on Rome is not to be completed until the "Epiphany" of the Lord's coming. This expression would apply to some period antecedent to the 1335 days, and not sooner than the close of the 1260, for it is then that "the false prophet" is to be cast into the lake of fire. As soon as that takes place, the terrible anarchy will follow which is the casting of the vine of the earth into the wine-press of the wrath. In that anarchy will be accomplished the other prediction, "and every island fled away, and the mountains were not found"-i.e., all the former political arrangements shall be broken up. This is what was seen by Nebuchadnezzar as the smiting of the great image on his feet and toes. The terrible weight of the judgment is described as a great hail coming down from heaven, every stone of the weight of a talent. Yet there was no repentance: “Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”

Such is the Divine picture of events from this our time until a little beyond the close of the 1260 years. We have entered into the events of the last days-days which are thus described by our Lord :-"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man

coming in a cloud, with power and great glory" (Luke xxi. 25-27). May we be enabled to adopt our Lord's words as our encouragement: "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (ver. 28).

ROME THE MYSTIC BABYLON—HER HISTORY AND DESTRUCTION.

THE 17th and 18th chapters of the Apocalypse form another separate prophecy, giving at one view the whole history of Rome from her foundation to her destruction, touching very lightly on her condition before the Christian dispensation. The primary purpose was to describe her as the great anti-Christian harlot. The description is given by one of the seven-vial angels—i.e., probably one of those saints in paradise who on earth had suffered persecution from her:-" And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Rev. xvii. 1, 2).

She is the great spiritual adulteress, who forsook the guide of her youth, and forgot the covenant of her God (Prov. ii. 17).

K

The angel took John in the spirit into the wilderness -i.e., John was so filled with the power of the Spirit as to be able to see things in their spiritual aspect. He then had an awful vision of Rome Papal:-" So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GReat, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration " (Rev. xvii. 3-6).

The scarlet-coloured beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns, is the revived Western Empire. Its imperial character is intimated by the scarlet. The woman clothed with purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and silver and precious stones and pearls, is the corrupted Church, without the white robes of priestly character, but with the purple robes of regal dignity. She is the Roman Church become the Roman Court. Her pomp and dignity, more than imperial, are described by her gorgeous robes. Her false doctrines and foul morals are described as a golden cup in her hand, full of the abominations and filthiness of her fornication. To the spiritual eye there was no mis

take about her character: it was on her very forehead.

She was

Mystery-i.e., she seemed to be one thing and was really another. She professed to be the bride of Christ, she was really the "man of sin."

Babylon the Great, the antitype of Babylon of old, which defiled the vessels of the Lord's house, bringing them into the idolatrous feast, praising the gods of gold.

"The mother of harlots." It is remarkable of Rome that few heresies originated in her, but she made them her own by adoption, and then imposed them upon others. She boasts to be "the mother and mistress of All who acknowledge her supremacy

all Churches."

accept and adopt her corruptions.

"The mother of abominations of the earth" is another description of the same thing.

St John then saw her persecuting character, "Drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Rome shed like water the blood of those who put their trust in Christ alone.

To us it seems most natural that, seeing her, he should wonder with great wonder.

Such was the corrupted Church which the apostle saw sitting upon the beast-that is, using him as her instrument.

THE ANGEL'S QUESTION.

"AND the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?"

How much food for thought we have in this question! It gives us, or rather suggests to us, the heavenly side of earthly things. On earth that very angel had probably marvelled as much as John did. In the full light of heaven he saw the results and the needs. We may apply the same thought to all the evils of the world. God commands the light to shine out of darkness, that the light of the knowledge of His glory may be seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

THE ANGEL'S EXPLANATION OF THE

MYSTERY.

THE angel then said, "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath seven heads and ten horns." He then describes the beast at considerable length, and says much less of the woman, probably because her character had been seen so clearly in the vision, and the explanation of the mystery was simply to tell who she was:"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder (whose names were not written in the book of life from the