We have now seen what will take place in heaven, immediately after the close of the history of the church on earth, as revealed in chapters 2 and 3. In chapter 4, we have seen the creation-glories of God; and in chapter 5, the redemption-glories of the Lamb. We now come to what will take place on earth after these things.
The opening of these seals of the book is preparatory to the Lamb taking the inheritance. He alone is worthy to open them. He opens the first seal, and there follows the immediate action of the throne. “And I heard, as it were the voice of thunder, one of the living creatures, saying, Come.” This seems to be the correct reading. The throne of God calls for judgments on the earth. Not a call to John to see, but a conqueror goes forth on a white horse to conquer. Being on a white horse would seem to imply pretensions to righteousness in his course. The first thing, then, that takes place on earth after the church of God is gone, will be the march of some great conqueror.
Verse 3. When the Lamb opens the second seal, He calls for further judgments, and of a different character. A red horse goes forth, “and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” Surely this is plain. This will evidently be a time of dreadful slaughter on the earth. Can any one doubt that the world is preparing for this? God restrains men until His church be gathered out, and then peace is taken from the earth. Think of the implements and materials of destruction the nations are preparing for that day. And men know it not. God has thus revealed to us what will surely take place.
Verse 5. At the opening of the third seal, the judgments are still more terrible: “lo, a black horse.” It is the black famine that follows the terrible state of anarchy, and mutual bloodshed.
Verse 7. At the opening of the fourth seal, a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell (or the grave) followed him. And he had power to kill a fourth part of the earth with the four sore judgments of God, with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. This world has refused the mercy of God, and now it must have the judgments. How terrible will be the state of this poor world; and the church may close its history any day on earth, and these judgments will surely come. God has shown us the things that “must shortly come to pass.”
Verse 9. The opening of the fifth seal demands very special attention. “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony that they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, Ο Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they [were] should be fulfilled.”
These are they who are spoken of in chapter 5:10: kings and priests, and they shall reign on the earth. For the present, they are told to wait for a little season, until others are killed like themselves. We shall find both these companies in chapter 20, when the reign begins; they had to wait until then. There are no thrones prepared for them in heaven, as with the elders, but there will be thrones on earth for them. They cry for vengeance, like the remnant in the Psalms: so cries not the church.
It is thus revealed to us that, after the close of Christianity, there will be, even in the midst of these terrible judgments, a remnant saved—even as there was a remnant saved before the church began at Pentecost. This remnant, however, will be slain, and their souls will have to wait a little season. They will not, as we shall see, be raised from the dead for some time, not, indeed, until the completion of the first resurrection in chapter 20. This is revealed to us, and will surely so take place. If we believe God, all is simple; if we reason about it, all will be in confusion.
Verse 12. At the opening of the sixth seal, we have the most terrible symbols, or figures, of the break up of all social order. When a symbol is given, it is that distinctly: that is, the events plainly cannot possibly be intended to be literal. If these things took place literally, there would be no mountains left for men to hide themselves in. What we have to do, then, is to bear in mind how these symbols are used in scripture. A great earthquake is a terrible break-up of the earth’s crust: such a social break-up of society will take place. The sun is the emblem of supreme rule. Government, or supreme rule, will be utterly darkened. And, as the moon is the lesser rule, or that which reflects the rule or light of the sun, so all subordinate rule will become utterly corrupt, like blood. All that are eminent, like the stars, will fall; all government, ail that is considered stable, will be utterly removed and broken up. The more we dwell on this, the more assured we may become that everything is tending to this very end. But so terrible will all this be when it comes, that the kings of the earth, and all classes, will believe the great day of the wrath of the Lamb is come. They will, under this mistake, cry to the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them. Does not this remind us of Psalm 2: “Be wise now, therefore, Ο ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth &e.?
What a revolution will this be! What a sudden break-up of social order amongst men! How many professing Christians are preparing the elements of destruction, for that day! Already that lawlessness, the growl of discontent, and infidelity, beneath the strata of society, are like the noises heard in the earth before an earthquake—the terrible forces of human wickedness ready to break forth. The fierce hatred, against all restraint, smoldering beneath, ready to break out the moment the time arrives. So frightful the shock when it comes, that supreme government becomes black as sackcloth. And all that reflects government now will be like blood. Eminent persons will fall like untimely fruit shaken by the wind. Everything that now governs society will be rolled away. Everything tin at has stood for ages immovable will be moved out of its place. “Yet once more, I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” (Heb. 12 read vers. 26 to 29.) This terrible break-up of all order, following the judgments of the opening of the previous seals, will fill all classes: with the utmost confusion and alarm.
All this is about to take place, and again we ask, have not all classes, kings, great men, rich men, mighty men, slaves and free men, an Indescribable foreboding of some terrible cat a-strophe? How oft you hear the remark, Things cannot go on as they are. Think of the diabolical wickedness of so many secret murderers, seeking to kill by cruel deaths the emperors, kings, and rulers of the earth! We solemnly call upon all Christians to be in constant prayer, whilst we are here, for the preservation of our beloved Queen, of kings, and of all who, under God, have-authority over us. But, believing this revelation, we must warn all such that this terrible break-up, like an earthquake, is at hand; shortly will it come to pass.
Oh that emperors, queens, kings, great men, rich men, captains, mighty men, bond and free, would now be warned. It will avail you nothing in that day to flee to the dens and rocks of the mountains. But it will avail you now to be warned, to flee to the only refuge God has set before you. Remember, all classes of men, if you: have not come to Jesus, if you have not accepted Him as your entire and eternal salvation, you are under the very wrath of God. You may be seeking salvation by works, by the lying sacrifices and ceremonies, and delusions of men crafty to deceive you. Oh, deceived, lost souls! These things will profit you nothing in that day when the Bridegroom shall have come, and the door is shut—forever shut—to you who have refused the grace of God, the free forgiveness of all who believe Him.
We entreat all classes of men to consider: there is but a step between you and the terrible plagues written in this book. Oh, how terrible it would be for you to read this paper after the church is taken, and these fearful judgments have begun. Remember if you refuse, oh ye kings and great and mighty men—if you receive not the love of the truth, that you may be saved, that “For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess. 2:10-1210And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10‑12).) Oh, ye high and lofty ones, who would disdain to hear, believe, and accept the precious glad tidings of eternal salvation through Jesus, we beg you to read these solemn words of revelation, of what is certainly about to take place. Be wise, oh ye kings!
We are aware of the special effort of Satan to make of none effect these warnings of God. Books of human reason are being written, and sent out; but they are the wanderings of the human mind—wandering in darkness, through history, to find what will seem like a past fulfillment, each contradicting one another, until they conclude that not only is all confusion and doubt, but that God must have designed it to be so! We have no intention of wandering in the darkness of human reason, and the logic of human pride. The evident object of all this is to take away the solemnity of the midnight cry, the coming of the Bridegroom, the receiving of those that are saved, and the terrible warnings of this book as to what is really coming on this earth. We trust it is in love to the whole church of Christ, yea, in the love and pity of God to the whole world, that we desire to lift the warning voice. We desire, then, in simple dependence on the Holy Spirit, to write as one who believes assuredly that these things will shortly come to pass. Our object is not to be occupied unduly with the errors of men, but with the sure truth of God; and we count, so far as it shall please God, to have the demonstration of the Spirit.