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النشر الإلكتروني

had purified itself from all Roman idolatry, and that she taught and received the gospel in truth.

2. "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." This shows that the bride represented the saints or Christians. The righteousness of the saints, represented by the fine linen, coincides with the freedom from the scarlet dress of Rome and all her idolatry.

3. "And he saith unto me, write Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." That is, happy are they who then shall live and participate in the new order of affairs in the world.

"And who shall see that glorious day,

When throned on Zion's brow,
The Lord shall take the vail away,

Which blinds the nation's brow."

So ends this panoramic history of the revolutionary period, called the seventh trumpet, or time of the end. The era began with 144,000 worshipers, but ends with countless millions. This vision of the period has given a full view of its spiritual matters; and we now turn to the other panorama in which political visions predominate.

Paragraph II.

SECOND PANORAMA.

The Second Vial Periods.-These prophecies are announced as beginning at the rise of the United States, as did the other panorama.

CLAUSE I.

First View. United States.-1. "And I saw another sign, great and marvelous. Seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of

God." That is, all the curses of God upon his political foes, were to be poured upon them during the seventh trumpet era.

2. "And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God." As the two panoramas of the seventh trumpet coincide upon the same epochs, the Lamb and his company on Mt. Zion, must coincide with these victors upon the sea of glass and fire. A sea represents a body of people, or a particular sea represents a particular nation. Jeremiah compares the Medo-Persian power to a sea. Glass denotes purity and consistency, and fire denotes either the word of God or vengeance. As the Lamb and his company, therefore, coincide with the Israel of Christ restored, so does this dual or trinal nationality, composed of a state of Christian churches. and the true religion.

We have already shown that the beast, the mark, and his image, taken together, symbolized the trinal form of Great Britain; and these victors were, therefore, those who had conquered Britain. Thus, again, the coincidence of these victory symbols with our country is remarkably accurate. From the revolutionary war, therefore, we shall look for the fulfillment of the vial's curses which were to be of a political character.

3. "After that, I looked and behold the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened, and the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues." As the temple represented the civil power of Christ's Israel, these vials proceeding from it must be political curses, and as the tabernacle of the testimony was opened, we see the fact disclosed, that

God had not forgotten his promise of old, to recompense judgment upon the heathens for their treatment of his people, but was now going to be as good as his word. After these angels came out of the civil department, one of the four beasts gave them seven vials of the wrath of God: that is, these agencies were put into operation by the civil government of Christ's Israel, and which is symbolized by all or one of the beasts.

The temple being filled with smoke, so that none could enter till the plagues were fulfilled, shows, that after the rise of the United States, no other people could establish a Christian republic, until the end of the seventh trumpet era.

First Vial. Curse on Britain."I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." This expresses that the curses should proceed from civil considerations.

"And the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image." That is, this vial was poured out upon the British nation, which was represented by the image and mark of the beast. A sore symbolizes a great affliction, and one of long continuance; and the grievous sore is a national calamity of great and continuous extent; and the sore of Great Britain was the loss of her most glorious jewels, the thirteen immortal stars that will forever adorn the temple of the free. Never did a nation suffer such a grievous sore and still survive, without prodigious feeling on account of the loss.

Second Vial. Reign of Terror in France.-"And the second angel poured his vial upon the sea, and it

became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea." The sea, generally, represents a body of people in a state of fusion or agitation. The changing of the sea to blood, shows terrible devastation and bloodshed in the community called the sea. The death of living creatures symbolizes not mere individuals, but minor supports, or orders of state; such as nobles, dukes, counts, earls, etc. This vial finds a coincidence in the reign of terror in France, which succeeded the British losses, and which also succeeded the revolution of 1789. During this whole period the whole of France became a scene of slaughter, and all vestiges of the former government perished. Who Who is not familiar with this dreadful era of blood?

Third Vial. German and Mountain Countries. "And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty; true and righteous are thy judgments." The rivers and fountains, we have before shown, were the heads of empire in Europe. Now, as the last head of the dragon in Europe was the German and Spanish empire, we look to this for its remaining strength, as coinciding with the rivers and fountains of waters. Now, this vial coincides with the terrific desolation carried into the Germanic body and Spain, by the French. The German empire was shaken to its center by war, and was compelled to sue the French for its very existence. Savoy, the great destroyer of the Waldenses, was wrested from it; the

United Provinces, and the Helvetic Confederacy, and Spain, were filled with blood by the French. These regions, and others not mentioned, were all great murderers of Christians; and God, through France, gave them blood to drink. These countries were, literally, countries of rivers and fountains; and, figuratively, were fountains of people, and heads of government.

Fourth Vial. French Empire.-"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with heat. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not, to give him glory." The sun is the civil. power of greatest magnitude in a firmament of states, and, as these vials were to be poured out upon the state system of Europe, the principal state in Europe, at the time of the vial, must be meant; and this could be no other than France, when it was changed to an empire in 1804. The scorching rays of this sun were felt by France itself, by Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and the west of Germany, and, indeed, by all Europe.

Fifth Vial. Russia Invaded.—“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain." As there were two beasts, the question is difficult to decide which one is referred to; we think, however, that it was Russia, or the beast from the pit, from the close coincidence in fulfillment, and from the fact that the forty-two months were expired. The seat of a beast is his empire; and the filling of his seat with darkness, is the filling his empire with great affliction; darkness, with the old prophets, symbolized war and ruin. The French invasion of Russia is one of the most famous in history, and filled it with darkness: and

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