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Eureka

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

 

 

Chapter 14

Section 9.

The Patience of the Saints

 


 
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"Here is the patience of the saints; here, they who keep the commandments of the Deity and the faith of Jesus" - Verse 12.

 

This is parallel with ch. 13:10, in a certain degree. In this text the words have reference to the subject-matter of "the patience and the faith;" while in verse 12, it indicates the persons themselves who are specially related to this patience and faith.

The word hode, rendered "here" is as if one should say en tode, that is, topo, in this place: ta hode, signifies the things here, that is, the things transacted in this place.

"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity." Hence, in the third angel-judgment, "the Beast is taken, and with him the Pseudo prophet" (ch. 19:20). The things represented by these symbols constitute a power that has led the saints and witnesses captive, and killed them with the sword. Therefore, the power "that killeth with the sword, by the sword must be killed;" and that, too, by the sword wielded by the saints (Psa. 149:6-9). Hence, also, in that section of the third angel -judgment represented in the eleventh verse, and further illustrated in the sickle scenes from the fourteenth to the twentieth verses inclusive, the remnant of the hostile power of the blasphemers (ch. 16:21) is slain with the sword of the "Faithful and True One," the Commander-in-Chief, "who judges and makes war in righteousness" (ch. 19:11).

What, then, are the saints waiting for, and what do they believe in? In other words, what is their patience and faith as the Brethren of Christ? The answer is, that they believe in and are waiting for the slaying of Daniel's fourth Beast, the destruction of his body politic, and the giving of it to the burning flame; and for the giving of the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, to the people consisting of the saints of the Most High Ones (Dan. 7:11,27); and Apocalyptically exhibited in chs. 14,15.

In the twelfth verse, the "here" leaves the reader without question

                    

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as to who these saints are. They are those who have the faith of Jesus. True, "The Mother of Harlots and of all the Abominations of the earth," the Harlots and Abominations themselves - Latins, Greeks, State-Church and Dissenting Protestants of every name and denomination of blasphemy in the Court of the Gentiles - all of them claim to have "the faith of Jesus!" Of this there is no doubt. It is easy to make claims, but not so easy to establish them. The text before us, however, determines the question against them all. They who keep the faith of Jesus are there declared to be those who "keep the commandments of the Deity" - the obedient. They are all of them the reverse of this. The spirit of obedience to the Divine laws is not in them. The only spirit that is their familiar spirit, is "the spirit that works in the children of disobedience", who "are by nature the children of wrath" (Eph. 2:2,3). The "christians of every name and denomination of Christendom," as the phrase is, are not the saints; for they neither "keep the commandments of the Deity", nor "the faith of Jesus". They are piously alien from them all. Their own published confession of themselves is true -they are, as they say, "miserable offenders, who have erred and strayed from the Almighty's ways; and have too much followed the devices and desires of their own hearts, and offended against His holy laws; having left undone those things which they ought to have done; and done those things which they ought not to have done; and there is no health in them." This is a "general confession" made every Sunday morning by the whole congregation of the Anglican State superstition throughout the British Isles, North America and the Indies; everywhere, in short, where Episcopalianism is found. The miserable offenders who thus stigmatize themselves as being utterly destitute of spiritual health, are recognized as good and orthodox christians by all their pious contemporaries, though somewhat too aristocratic and overbearing. In thus recognizing them they are partakers with them. Listen to the individual outpourings of State-Harlot adherents and Dissenting Earth-Abomination members, and the same vein of self-condemnation will be found to run through them all. They all place themselves in the category of miserable offenders in whom is no health. This being their own testimony concerning their "inward man," we have no right to dispute it. We accept it as the truth, and nothing but the truth. This confession, however, is utterly incompatible with the claim of being the "keepers of the commandments of the Deity and the faith of Jesus". The keepers of these do not err and stray from the Father's ways like lost sheep, but they walk in His ways because they keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus; and being his sheep, "they know his voice, and a stranger they will not follow". No, "miserable offenders" have no identity with these; but are

 

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of them who worship the Beast and his Image, and receive the sign of his name  the unhappy subjects of the judgments of third angel power

That crucial rhantists (besprinkled infant sprinklers) are in no way related to "the saints," is clear from their total ignorance of the signification of the things symbolized in ch. 13:1-10; 14:l~20. Their greatest luminary Rev. Mr. Elliott, gives nearly the whole of this fourteenth chapter the go by, and the little he does speculate upon, from ver. 1 to 5, he expounds as finding its accomplishment in the time and events of the Lutheran Rebellion! The saints are waiting for the things represented in the first eleven verses of this chapter; the besprinkled subjects of the sign of the Beast's name are not. Hence, "the patience" symbolized en hode topo, in this place, is not their patience. They are waiting to "go to heaven" in Transkyania, where there is neither time nor space! It takes the credulity of the Beast's worshippers to believe in a place of such ample dimensions as "heaven," where there is no space! But nothing is too absurd for the "patience" of them who keep not the faith of Jesus.

But in this vision of the first, second and third angels are brought to light the saints themselves. "Here," or in this place of the Apocalypse, are seen the saints in the execution of "the judgment written". This is equivalent to declaring that "the Holy Angels and the Lamb," of verse 10, are symbolical of Jesus and his brethren, and identical with the Lamb and 144,000 of the first verse. These at the head of their forces are the power symbolized by the second and third angels. They begin their career in "prophesying again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings," as the first angel making proclamation in midheaven; and they finish it in binding the Dragon, and celebrating their victory over the Beast, and over his Image, and over the sign and number of his name, standing upon the sea of glass, having the harps of the Deity (Apoc. 15:2). In all their career "the nations rage, and the kingdoms are moved; but He uttered his voice, and the earth melted". When their work of judgment is in progress, it will be said, "Come, behold the works of Yahweh, who hath set desolations in the earth. He is making wars to cease to the end of the earth; he will break the bow, and will cut the spear in sunder; and will burn the chariots in the fire. Be still, and know that I am Elohim. I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth. Yahweh Tz'vaoth (He who shall be hosts) is with us; a strong place for us is the Elohim of Jacob" (Psa. 46:6-11).

 

 

 


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