3. And another angel [messenger, Christ] came
and stood at the altar [to offer acceptable sacrifice], having a golden
censer [the divine will to sacrifice as a New Creature his full ability];
and there was given unto him much incense [perfect New Creature ability and will,
his two hands full, to offer to God], that he should offer it [fulfil his
vows of consecration as a New Creature] with the prayers of all saints upon the
golden altar [where New Creature sacrifices are made] which was before
the throne [the divine authority].
4. And the smoke [remembrance or evidence] of the incense
[perfect sacrifice], which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up
[by the authority of Christ] before God out of the angel’s [Christ’s]
hand.
5. And the angel [the divine Christ] took the censer
[humanity-consuming trials and experiences which had resulted in his sacrifice],
and filled it with fire of the altar [coals of fire judgments], and cast
it into the earth [upon the Jewish society]: and there were voices
[proclamations], and thundering [controversies], and lightnings
[illuminations], and an earthquake [upheavals that took
place after the Lords death as part of the judgments against the Jewish
nation consummating in its destruction around CE 70].
6. And the seven angels [messengers] which had
[delegated to them] the seven trumpets [proclamations of trumpet
messages] prepared themselves to sound [awaited their turn to sound
instructed by our Lord].
7. The first angel [messengerPaul] sounded, and there
followed hail [hard, distressing truth] and fire mingled with blood
[accompanied by righteous, life threatening judgments], and they were cast upon
the earth [stable societynotice that the first trumpet message is directed
toward earth as is the first of the seven last plagues in Revelation 16:2]: and
the third part [the right-hearted] of trees [prominent men] was
burnt up [were converted], and all green grass [men sufficiently
alive to receive or absorb the water of truth] was burnt up [were
converted].
8. And the second angel [messengerthe Apostle John] sounded,
and as it were a great mountain [kingdomRome] burning with fire
[being subject to Christian conversion] was cast into the sea [brought
into contact with the barbarians or restless masses, bringing a blessing to themnotice
also that the second of the last plagues was directed toward the sea (Revelation 16:3)
bringing the pain of change]; and the third part [the right-hearted men] of
the sea [the restless barbarians] became blood [were converted
or lost their lives to their former condition].
9. And the third part [right-hearted] of the creatures
[people] which were in the sea [among the restless masses], and
had life [who had spiritual vitality], died [gave up paganism or
died to their condition]; and the third part [righteously inclined] of
the ships [those in the temples of the Roman provinces] were destroyed
[to paganism].
10. And the third angel [messengerArius] sounded, and there
fell a great star [leader] from heaven [ecclesiasticism],
burning as it were a lamp [bringing light as a messenger to the church],
and it [the lamp of Arius] fell upon the third part
[right-hearted] of the rivers [the sources of religious teachings
upholding Babylon], and upon the fountains of waters [the theologians and
teachersthe sources of religious teaching]; [Please notice that the third of the seven
last plagues is poured out on the "rivers and fountains of waters" turning them
to blood, that is, making them abhorrent or deadly (Revelation 16:4), but here the
messenger’s message brought a blessing to the right-hearted].
11. And the name of the star [messenger] is called Wormwood
[Bitterness]: and the third part [the right-hearted] of the
waters [the former upholders of Babylon] became wormwood [the
teachings of Babylon became bitter]; and many men [nominal Christians] died
[ceased to exist] of the waters [because of the teachings],
because they were made bitter [realized them to be false and obnoxious].
12. And the fourth angel [messengerWaldo] sounded, and the
third part [right-hearted Christians] of the sun was smitten
[those converted realized that the sun, the Gospel light had been darkened], [Please
notice that the fourth of the seven last plagues (Revelation 16:8) is poured on the sun
but the effect is quite different, for it turns up the heat of the Gospel sun so that it
scorches thembut in this verse the right-hearted realize they had not received enough
sun-light.] and the third part of the moon [the Mosaic Law had been
obscured], and the third part of the stars [apostolic lights had
darkened]; so as the third part [right-hearted] of them was
darkened [they realized that darkness or error had supplanted the light of truth],
and the day shone not for a third part of it [they realized the Gospel light did
not reach them] and the night likewise [they realized the reflected light
of the Mosaic Law did not appear unto them, in other words, they were blessed with an
awakening to what was happening].
13. And I [the John Class] beheld [discerned],
and heard an angel flying ["an eagle crying with a loud voice," the Word of
God flying on the wings of the Old and New Testament] through the midst [mid-heaven]
of heaven [as the Word circulated among those who separated themselves
from Babylon and who no longer recognized the spiritual authorities there for now they are
in mid-heaven instead of the former ecclesiastical heavens], saying with a loud
voice [proclamation], "Woe! Woe! Woe! to inhabiters of the earth
[nominal Christians] by reason of the other voices [proclamations] of
the trumpet [messages] of the three angels [Wycliff, Luther and
Russell], which are yet to sound [by reason of the remaining three woe
trumpets or proclamations, that is, the fifth, sixth and seventh trumpets would be woe
messages]!
CHAPTER 9
1. And the fifth angel
[messengerWycliff],
sounded, and I [the John Class] saw a star [one
of the "seven stars" that Jesus held in his right handWycliff] fall from
heaven [separated himself from supporting ecclesiasticism] unto the earth
[common people of society and was sheltered by the civil powers]: and to him was
given the key [authority] of the bottomless pit [to release that
which was restrained and suppressedtruths].
2. And he [Wycliff] opened the bottomless pit
[released suppressed biblical truths]; and there arose a smoke out of the pit
[evidences that truths had been suppressed], as the smoke of a great furnace
[this evidence was very pronounced]; and the sun [the Gospel according to
the creedal teachings] and the air [influence of the evil spirits] were
darkened [diminished] by reason of the smoke of the pit
[evidence that truths had been restrained and suppressed].
3. And there came out of the smoke [evidence] locusts
[truths which had been suppressed and restrained] upon the earth [stable
society]; and unto them [the locusts or truths themselves which appeared
unto society] was given power, as the scorpions [schools] of the
earth [society] have power [that is through teaching and
education].
4. And it was commanded them [these truths were directed] that
they should not hurt [bring pain to] the grass [common people] of
the earth [society], neither any green thing [with spiritual
vitality], neither any tree [prominent people]; but only those
men [Christians] which have not the seal [enlightenment] of
God [the holy Spirit of God] in their foreheads [intellects].
5. And to them [these locust truths] it was given that they
should not kill them [or convert them], but that they should be tormented
[troubled] five months [one hundred and fifty years]:
and their torment [trouble] was
as the torment of a scorpion [teaching and education], when he striketh a
man [causing pain because others saw through their errors and practices, also, a
scorpion has two stingers in his tail, which in effect delivers teachings from the Old and
New Testament].
6. And in those days shall men [those without the enlightenment of the
holy Spirit] seek death [a change or conversion from their position],
and shall not find it; and shall desire to die [be converted] and death
[conversion] shall flee from them [change was not then to be attained].
7. And the shapes of the locusts [truths] were like unto
horses [doctrines] prepared unto to battle [combat]; and
on their heads [the priests of these truths] were as it were crowns like
gold [with divine authority], and their faces [appearance of
these truth bearers] were as the faces of men [Christians].
8. And they [the locust truths] had hair
[justification] as the hair of women [an ample covering], and
their teeth [rending criticisms] as the teeth of lions [of
divine justice].
9. And they [the locust truths] had breastplates
[righteousness], as it were breastplates [righteousness] of iron
[which are impregnable]; and the sound of their wings [messages
Scripturally supported by the wings of the Old and New Testamentswings of an eagle] was
as the sound of chariots [the message of organizations] of many horses
[doctrines] running to battle [prepared for controversy].
10. And they [the locust truths] had tails
[teachings] like unto scorpions [were sponsored by teachers who were like
scorpions who inflict painful irritations], and there were stings
[painful irritations] in their tails [caused by these teachers]:
and their power [ministry] was to hurt
men [afflict those men in the
church who had not the enlightenment of the holy Spirit] five months [one
hundred and fifty years.]
11. And they [the locust truths] had a king [these
truths had a king, the Bible] over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit
[messenger of restraint and suppression to the unenlightened], whose name in the
Hebrew tongue is Abaddon [Destroyer], but in the Greek tongue hath his
name Apollyon [Destroyer].
12. One woe [the fifth trumpet] is past; and, behold, there
come two woes more hereafter [by reason of the two remaining trumpet messages].
13. And the sixth angel [messengerLuther] sounded, and I
[the John Class] heard a voice [message] from the four horns of
the golden altar [the power of the altar of the sacrificing Christ, the church
with its divine Head] which is before God [the divine presence],
14. Saying to the sixth angel [messengerLuther] which had the
trumpet [Reformation message], Loose the four angels [basic
divisions of ProtestantismLutheran movement, Baptist movement,
Congregationalist
-Methodist movement, and the Presbyterian movement] which are
bound in [above] the great river Euphrates [the peoples who
support papacy].
15. And the four angels [basic divisions of Protestantism] were
loosed, which were prepared for an hour [the harvest period], [and a daynot in
Sinaitic], and a month, and a year [a month of 30 plus a year of 360 =
390 years], for to slay [by disassociating from] the
third part [the right hearted] of men [Christiansfrom
anti-christ followers].
16. And the number of the army of horsemen [professed Christians who
promoted Protestantism] were two hundred thousand thousand [or 200
millions]: and I [the John Class] heard [was informed] the
number of them [in THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES, page 16, it is
recorded that there were 116 million Protestants and 84 million Greek
Catholics which totals 200 million opposers of Papacy].
17. And thus I [the John Class] saw the horses
[doctrines] in the vision, and them that sat on them [or used them],
having breastplates [of righteousness or justification] of fire
[to destroy as fire], and of jacinth [the reddish-yellow flame which
comes from burning], and brimstone [sulfur, which would show its power to
destroy opposition from the papacy]: and the heads [logic and
reasonableness] of the horses [doctrines] were as the heads of
lions [in harmony with the attribute of God’s lion of justice or
justification by faith which restored the truth of the vicarious sacrifice of Christ
offered once for all instead of the Mass]; and out of their mouths
[proclamations of these doctrines] issued fire and smoke and brimstone
[destructively pointing out the sins of papacy and destroying many as adherents of the
false church while converting them to Protestantism].
18. By these three [fire, smoke and sulfur] was the third part
[right-hearted] of men [Christians] killed
[converted], by the fire [destructive influences of fire], and by
the smoke [recollections of destruction], and by the brimstone
[deadly fumes of sulfur], which issued out of their mouths [agencies of
proclamations].
19. For their power is in their mouth [logic and teaching],
and in their tails [tails can be those who teach lies or truth (Isaiah 9:14, 15)]:
for their tails [those who teach] were like unto serpents [wise
as serpents], and had heads [of logic and reasonableness], and
with them they do hurt [afflict the false church].
20. And the rest of men [nominal Christians] which were not
killed [converted] by these plagues [notice that these doctrines
and teachings of this second woe period are called plagues] yet repented not of
the works of their hands [man-made conceptions of religion], that they
should not worship devils [devilish creeds], and idols of gold
[man-made imitations of gold or divinity and Christianity], and silver
[imitation truths], and brass [copper representing make-believe
justification], and stone [not the true Rock which is Christ],
and wood [soft wood not fit to build with]: which neither can see, nor
hear, nor walk [have no value or power].
21. Neither repented they of their murders [converted from their
ex-communicating practices], nor of their sorceries [superstitious
practices], nor of their fornication [pollutions with the civil powers],
nor of their thefts [misappropriations].
