they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

Here, it is declared to us, is to be the great trial, whether those who profess themselves Christians, in that day are Christians indeed, and will take up their cross and follow Jesus even unto death. The second beast, as we have seen already, will cause those to be slain who refuse to worship the first beast; with those immediately under the persecution, the choice will be between apostacy and death; and for the encouragement and strengthening of the saints, it is written, verse 13, "And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth :* yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labour, and their works do follow them."

We have, then, a suitable warning to the faithless, and a seasonable encouragement to those who are faithful unto death.

But the subject of that fearful persecution, during the 1260 days, appears to be too important to be dismissed even with the large notice taken of it in the chapter we have already glanced at. The persons subjected to that persecution-some worshipping the beast to save their lives-some embracing death rather than deny their Lord-seem to me to be in the mind of the Spirit during many of the following chapters.

It is to be remarked, that in some of the places we have been considering, the language used would almost lead us to the conclusion that, in this persecution, every individual faithful disciple of Jesus would be actually put to death; but other passages seem to force us to qualify this universal language. All the followers of Jesus, at that time, are brought to have the spirit of martyrs— boldly and openly to choose death and faithfulness, rather than life and apostacy. Multitudes, no doubt, will seal their testimony with their blood, whilst the Lord's almighty arm will stop the murderous sword of the destroyer.

The 15th chapter appears to me to describe the Lord's care of those faithful few whom he has saved from death, and his separating them into a place of safety, before he sends his angels to pour out the vials of his wrath upon his enemies and persecutors: "And I saw another sign in heaven great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the

* I do not think the force of the phrase, αποθνήσκοντες πααρτι, is in general sufficiently considered. The voice from heaven desires to announce a peculiar blessedness to those who die from that moment-those who die under that particular, last, awful persecution. If, as I shall, I think, demonstrate in the sequel, there is a peculiar glory awaiting those who die under the persecution of the beast, we shall see a peculiar and appropriate meaning hitherto quite overlooked in this phrase: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord aag, from henceforth," from this moment, under the present persecution.

wrath of God; 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, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God, and they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb," &c. &c.

This chapter, I conceive, sets before us God's mindful care and preservation of those who were faithful in the persecution of the beast; who, though not counting their lives dear unto themselves, were preserved from the death which many of their brethren endured. They were martyrs in God's sight, though their blood was not shed upon the earth. This chapter having thus represented God's careful separation of his faithful living remnant, the next, the 16th, shows the pouring out of God's wrath upon those who had made the fatal choice of worshipping the beast to save their lives. Verse 1st: "And 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. 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 worshipped his image."

If the former chapter gives us assurances of God's love and care to those who shall stand in the evil day, this chapter gives an equally positive assurance of the vials of God's wrath being poured upon those who shall apostatize in the day of trial, and who, to save their lives, shall worship the beast.

The following chapters are still upon points connected with the same subject. In chapter 17th, one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, tells John, that he will show him the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. But it may be asked, what connection has this with the former subject? It arises from the connection of this great whore with the beast of chapter 13th. "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;" or, as it is said, verse 7th, "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath seven heads and ten horns." The angel having told John much of that awful beast, tells him, as likely to interest him and the church, about that harlot, which in those days shall be found in connection with the beast. The 18th chapter goes more at length into the particulars of the destruction of "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." She is seen joining herself to the antichristian powers so formidable in the latter days to God's church, and "she is thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." And, in the 19th chapter, we are presented with a cheering prospect of the victories of Messiah, who hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORDS OF LORDS; and it closes with an account of the destruction of the antichristian beast and all his confederate

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armies, verse 19th, &c.:" And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army, and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophets that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and that had worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."

So far there is no change of subject, but a unity in the matter of the prophecy from the first chapter with which we commenced our remarks. The whole portion of Scripture relates to the period contained by, or immediately subsequent to, the 1260 days, or 42 months, during which the beast of the 13th chapter continues; and I venture to state it as my opinion that there is no change of subject in the opening of the next, the 20th chapter. I feel assured that the Spirit of God is making known circumstances which relate to those who have been actors and sharers in the awful scenes of the 1260 days. This, I feel constrained to believe, is the subject still in hand. This view, it is true, leads me to an interpretation of this passage of Scripture entirely different from that adopted by any preceding commentator with which I am ac quainted; but which yet appears to me to flow naturally out of the train of thought which has been suggested by the examination of the former chapters. I conceive that the first six verses of chapter 20th relate to facts and persons connected with the persecution of the 1260 days. There is no change in the subject. This part of the prophecy is intended to inform us of circumstances that shall happen to persons who, inflicting or suffering persecution, bore a conspicuous part in the transactions of that important period. The information contained in these six verses is two-fold: the first part informs us what shall be done to the Devil and Satan after the destruction of the beast; the second informs us what shall be done for those that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, &c.

A little consideration will show us that the manner in which the dealing with Satan is introduced is a convincing proof that the opening of this chapter is a continuation of the subject of the preceding ones. If we turn to the 12th chapter, we shall find the Devil or Satan in a very peculiar manner connected with the transactions of the 1260 days. We read there that there was war in heaven between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels, and that Satan is cast out of heaven into the earth; and in verse 12th, we read, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, for the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth he hath but a short time." It is remarkable, as if to connect the two places together, that in both he is called the Dragon, the Old Serpent, the Devil, and Satan, a combination of names found no where else, describing the great adversary of God and man. Indeed, it is remarkable that he is

no where called the Dragon, but from the 12th to the 20th chapters of this book of Revelation.

The Dragon was cast out into the earth just before the beginof the 1260 days, as we find, verses 13, 14: "And when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child; and to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And this marks his coming to the earth at the beginning of the time, times, and half a time, or 1260 days. In chapter 13, v. 2, we read “The Dragon gave him (the beast) his power, his seat, and great authority." The Dragon then appears to be the moving spring of the persecution of the beast, by which there came such woe to the inhabitants of the earth.

When, then, it pleased the Lord that there should be an end to the trials and sufferings of his church-when, further, he has accomplished the pouring out of his destroying indignation upon those who received the mark of the beast, and upon the beast himself, then the angel lays hold of the Dragon, that old serpent, &c., and binds him a thousand years, and casts him into the bottomless pit, and shuts him up, and sets a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled.

The greatest woes that the church is warned of are, when Satan, cast out of heaven, is let down unto the earth. It is for the consolation of the church that she is told that his sojourn on the earth shall be but for a limited period, three and a half years, and then shall the great enemy be bound, and kept from the power of doing harm for a thousand years.

So far, then, we are in this portion of Scripture made acquainted with God's mind concerning the great actors in that important period. We are told of the coming, and the fate of Satan-the rise and end of the persecuting beast-the fate of those who, yielding to temptation, worshipped the beast-the destruction of Babylon, connected as she is in that period with the beast, and the preservation and happiness of those faithful ones who, though refusing to worship the beast, were yet preserved alive in spite of his malice and his power. There is but one class remaining, about whom the church might well feel an especial interest; those who had been faithful unto death, who refusing to worship the beast, had been beheaded or slain with an axe, for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God: and about these, in the 4th, 5th, and 6th verses, the Lord gives the church most comforting and cheering information.

"4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their

hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." &c. &c.

I conceive, that it is stated here, that as these faithful servants of the Most High endured such a persecution and trial, as none before them had ever been subject to, they shall have an honour, such as none of the Lord's servants ever had. Their abode in the grave shall be but short; as soon as all their enemies are destroyed by the Lord, they shall be raised from the dead, and live and reign with Christ one thousand years, whilst Satan remains bound, and peace and blessing is the portion of the church.

"5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."

I am rather inclined to think that the rest of the dead here spoken of, are the remnant said, in the last verse of the preceding chapter, to have been slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse. Those believers slain by the axe of the beast, are raised quickly to glory—those unbelievers slain by the sword of him that sat on the horse, are not raised to receive their final doom until the conclusion of the thousand years. This resurrection of these faithful martyrs, is the first resurrection. Whilst Christ is said to be the "first fruits of them that slept"-the first in the form of man who rose to die no more; these martyrs to the fury of the antichristian beast, are the first of his redeemed people who rose to die no more.

"6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

They have nothing now to fear. In their former state they were faithful unto death, and now they receive the crown of life-they now reign with Christ.

This appears to me to be the meaning of the passage, when considered in connection with the preceding chapters; and when considered as a continuation of the one subject, in which way we are led to view it from the very striking sameness of the language used throughout. I conceive that it makes no statement whatever, concerning any other persons but those who, like the two witnesses in chap. xi. 7. and the larger number, as chap. xiii. 15. have suffered death under the persecution of the beast, during the 1260 days. It is an especial promise intended to comfort the heart, strengthen the faith, enliven the hope, and reward the patience of those that shall live and die faithful in those peculiarly awful days.

I know that in considering this a promise belonging only to MARTYRS YET TO COME, I differ from all commentators that I have ever seen. I differ from the earliest commentators of the primitive church, who considered this passage to contain a promise to the martyrs of their days. I differ from the generality of antimillenarians, who whilst they, as they call it, spiritual