Thumbnail image

Last Updated on : Saturday, November 22, 2014

 


sp

DOWNLOAD EUREKA volumes in PDF: Eureka downloads page

Eureka vol. 1 TOC | Eureka vol. 2 TOC | Eureka vol 3 TOC

Previous section | Next section

 

Eureka

AN EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE
Sixth Edition, 1915
By Dr. John Thomas (first edition written 1861)

 

 

Chapter 13

Section 1 Subsection 22

The Patience and Faith of theSaints

 


 
spacer

 

"Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints" - Verse 10

 

When we read in the seventh verse, that exousia, authority, rule, dominion or jurisdiction, was given to the Beast," and consequently to his Lion Mouth, over every tribe, and tongue and nation, we know that the Beast represents the system of government existing in the outcast and unmeasured Court of the Gentiles (ch. 11:2): that is, over the tribes, tongues, and nations, of those countries, in which the Holy Polity in Christ, the Saints, and the Earth, or Witnesses, helping them, have contended for 1260 years against the Papacy.

The Saints, or true believers, have always known, though sinners, and sceptical professors, their kin, have not, that although their conflict with the secular and ecclesiastical rulers of the world would be proximately disastrous; yet, that finally they would themselves be the victors, and the personal avengers of the atrocious cruelties they had endured. They have always known what the Beast is that is politically "worshipped by all that dwell upon the (Romish) earth;" and by which they have in ages past been vanquished: and being of that class that hath ears, they have heard "what the Spirit saith to the ecclesias." They have understood what the destiny of "the Powers that be," which have led them into captivity and killed them by the sword, is decreed by the Eternal Spirit to be. They know that this Beast, with all its appendages of heads, horns, mouth, feet, and Name of Blasphemy, aggregately symbolizing the governments of the nations, are themselves to be led captive, or taken violent possession of; and to be destroyed by the judicial two-edged sword in the hands of the Saints. They knew that the honor of executing vengeance upon the nations, and punishments upon the people; of binding their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; and of executing the judgment written, when the Ancient of Days should come, was, in the wisdom and justice of the Deity, assigned to them (Psa. 149:6-9; Dan. 7:22). By this knowledge, they were energized to endure for the time-being the atrocious cruelty inflicted upon them by the great iron teeth of the Lion-Mouth. They endured in hope of this honor, and waited for it in faith. It was their patience and their faith that the time would come, after the lapse of the forty two months, when they would slay Daniel's Fourth Beast, give his body politic to the burning flame, and deprive the other three Beasts of their dominion, which they would possess 1000 years (Dan. 7:11,12; Apoc. 20:4). This has never been "the patience and the faith" of the worshippers of the Beast "who dwell upon the earth." These, who constitute "the Names and Denominations of Christendom," do not believe that the power leading "heretics," so-called, into captivity, or, in the language of the Inquisition, "immuring" them, shall itself be "immured" in the binding of its kings and nobles with chains: nor that such a power having killed "heretics" by the million with the sword, shall in like manner be by them destroyed. They of whose names there has been no record (hou gegraptai) from the foundation of the world, in the book of the slain Lamb's life have no ear to hear such doctrines as this. The waiting for and belief of these things is a characteristic of the true believers, "who dwell in the heaven," though". pilgrims and sojourners upon the earth, and trodden under foot of the Gentiles; for where their treasure is, there is their heart, or affections, also.

This tenth verse of ch. 13 is parallel with ch. 14:8-12. That is, the mission of the Second and Third Angels outlined in this passage is executive of the judgment written against the Beast in ch. 13:10 - ei tis, if any, etc., rendered "he that killeth, etc.; the outline shows that the "any" refers to Babylon, the great city, and the worshippers of the Beast and his Image; and that these are to be "tormented with fire and brimstone," or "destroyed in war" (ch. 11:18) "in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." The saints are waiting for this. It is the patience of those "who keep the commandments of the Deity and the faith of Jesus;" for so it is written inch. 14:12, to which the reader is referred. Because the Great City, or "Christendom," has shed the blood of the saints and witnesses of Jesus, blood is to be given it to drink until it shall fall to rise no more. As "a great hail out of the heavens," the saints are to descend upon Babylon, and to "reward her even as she rewarded them, and to double to her according to her works" (Ch. 16:21; 18:6). They are to execute this judgment strengthened by Omnipotence co-working with them (ch. 14:13); in the time of the end, after they shall have been raised from the dead, and been commissioned (ch. 18:20).

When this patience and faith is satisfied, the saints, living and raised, will no longer be in a waiting position. They will rejoice in victory, and "sing the song of Moses, the servant of the Deity, and the song of the Lamb" (ch. 15:3). There will then be no systems of government such as now exist. The Ten-horned Beast, the Two-horned Beast, the Image of the Beast, the Scarlet-colored Beast, and the drunken Harlot he carries, will all have been destroyed as "the destroyers of the earth." Not a trace of them will be left; for they are all to be carried away as the wind sweeps off the chaff of the summer threshing-floors. No place on the earth will be found for them; for the Power that smites them will be-come as a great Mountain filling the whole earth (Dan. 2:35,44). "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Here are they who keep the commandments of the Deity and the faith of Jesus;" all others are simply "the worshippers of the beast and his image," the mark of whose name is in their foreheads sealing them to death.

 

 


spacer
spacer
spacer

Eureka Diary -- reading plan for Eureka

spacer