There are three conditions in which the Word presents the Lord consequent on His incarnation. He was here in humiliation. That culminated at the cross, and was terminated by His death. He is now risen and ascended, the accepted One by God, and seated on Jehovah's throne, where no one, of course, can be but He who is God. Yet He who is there is Man, and waiting till His enemies be made His footstool. By and by He will come again as Man,-the Son of Man,- but in power and divine glory, to reign over earth, and to reduce all things in heaven and on earth, to order and subjection to God. Of this last the Revelation treats, acquainting us, however, with events on earth through God's dealing with men in judgment which must precede the Lord's manifestation in power.

In what follows it is attempted to set forth the plan of this prophetic book, in the hope that the unfolding of that may help some to a better acquaintance with its orderly arrangement.

"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him:and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen" (i :7). Of His return, then, there is no doubt. He came into this world in the past when men were, for the most part, asleep; He will return in the most public way, "coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matt. 24 :30). With events which must precede this advent He desires people to be acquainted. So we have this book, entitled "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John" (i :i).

Now into three divisions the Lord Himself divides it. He told John (i :19) to write " the things which thou hast seen;" and next, "the things which are;" and then, " the things which shall be hereafter " (lit., after these). What John had seen was the vision of chap. i :10-18. "The things which are" were the churches addressed by the Lord in chaps. 2, 3. "The things which shall be after these "are the events which begin to be described from chap. 4. Authority for this is furnished by the words (4:1) " Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter " (or, after these). Into the epistles to the seven churches we do not intend here to enter. We may, however, remark, with reference to the order in which they are each time named, that, had we taken a tour to visit them, starting from Ephesus, and following the high road, we should, going first northward, have reached Smyrna, and then Pergamos; after which, following a high road southward, we should have reached Thyatira, then Sardis, then Philadelphia, and, last of all, Laodicea. Naturally, therefore, might they be mentioned in the order met with in this book (Rev. i:ii ; and chaps. 2, 3). We can, however, trace a design in the arrangement, as we learn how the characteristics of these different assemblies, and the order in which they are presented, furnish us with a moral history of the Church of God upon earth from apostolic days to the close of its earthly existence. These two chapters, therefore, are for the Church of God what the blessings of Jacob's sons (Gen. 49) are for Israel. The former furnish us with the Church's moral history ; the latter sets forth an outline of Israel's political history till the Lord comes to reign.

Ere that takes place, however, judgments must be poured out on this scene. God has a controversy with men. That must be settled. And we learn that the way of its settlement is by judgments. But these, necessarily, cannot take place whilst the Church of God, which is the Body of Christ, is upon earth. The rapture of i Thess. 4 must precede the opening of the seals; for all true Christians must be kept "from the hour of trial which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth " (3 :10). Hence, in chaps. 4, 5, just previous to narrating the details of the things which shall be on earth "after these," we have a scene in heaven. The elders are there, their number all completed, having already left earth, the destined scene of divine operations in judgment. And those judicial dealings begin when the Lamb takes the book and opens its seals one by one. The dwellers upon earth in this book are a moral class-the worst in it, seemingly apostates, who have had the offer of the heavenly calling, but have deliberately chosen earth as their portion instead.

Now these judgments are threefold, symbolized under events following the opening of the seals (chaps. 6 and 8:1); next, those consequent on the blowing of the trumpets ( chaps. 8, 9 and 11:14-18); and last, those which are the results of the pouring out of the vials, or bowls (chap. 15:5 to 16:21). So, to grasp the order of the book, we have simply to remember that in the time of the opening of the seals, of the blowing of the trumpets, and of the pouring out of the bowls, the chronological events subsequent to the rapture of the Church, and preceding the advent of our Lord in power, are all comprised. Let the reader mark this, and he will find the chronological order in chaps. 6; 8; 9; 11:14-18; 15:5 to 16:21; 19:n to 21:8; the rest being parenthetic portions explanatory of certain matters introduced to the reader's notice. Seals, trumpets, vials (or bowls), in this order are the different judgments revealed, and, in chronological sequence, preparatory to the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We would now point out the bearing of the parenthetic portions. In 6:9 we learn, under the fifth seal, that persecution followed by martyrdom will have already taken place upon earth, subsequent to the rapture of the saints. A fresh testimony for God must therefore have been begun after the Holy
Ghost shall have left with the Church of God (Rev. 22:17); a testimony carried on, of course, by His power, but in a scene in which He will not then be personally dwelling. Martyrs, we learn, when that seal is opened, will have already been slain; and more will follow. But are all saints, then, to lose their lives ? An answer to this is furnished by chapter 7, which discloses that far-reaching on earth will be the new testimony, and that an elect company of the twelve tribes will be kept true to it to the end (7 :1-8). Nor that only; for a great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, will be kept steadfast likewise, to enjoy millennial blessing and special favor, it would appear, on the part of God (7:15). " He that sitteth on the throne will tabernacle over them," so the seer of Patmos wrote, and not "shall dwell among them." Amongst Israel nationally, and amongst Gentiles, God will work, and keep alive this testimony, which, having begun after the rapture, will be continued till the Lord appears. The reason for this parenthetic portion it is then easy to understand. And that these saints in chap. 7 are on earth, not in heaven, will be apparent as we read verses 16, 17. No need would there be thus to write of those on high.

The next parenthetic portion commences with chap. 10:1, and ends with n:13. Things are now viewed as drawing to a close. So the angel, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow on his head, with his face as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire, announces there will be no longer delay, as the words "that there should be time no longer" (10:6) really mean. For "in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath announced the glad tidings to His servants the prophets " (7). The mystery of god, it is said, for He will then begin to deal openly and directly with the apostate power upon earth. This the vials show. And the need for this is manifested by what we read in chap, 11 of another testimony raised up by God, the center of which will be at Jerusalem (11:8), and which the Beast will ineffectually attempt to extinguish, slaying, as he will be permitted to do, God's two witnesses at Jerusalem, over whose death the dwellers upon the earth will make merry (11:3-10). Thus there will be, we here learn, a testimony for God carried on during the time of the trumpets, more restricted in the area of its operation than that referred to in 6:9; and 7, and quite distinct from it. Made acquainted with this by chap. 11, another parenthetic portion is called for, which commences at 11 :19, after the blowing of the seventh trumpet, and continues to 15:4.

As this fresh testimony has Jerusalem for its center, Jews have specially to do with it. But why are they thus the object of the Beast's hatred ? Chap. 12 explains this by telling us of the devil's undying hostility to the nation of Israel, because, in the language of the passage, the woman brought forth a Man-child who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron (5). Baffled in his attempt to exterminate the nation, he will make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus (12:13-17). So, fierce will be the persecution, and all the more because he hath but a short time (12:12). In chap. 7 we saw that the testimony there referred to concerned both Jews and Gentiles. This one under the trumpets concerns especially the Jews. And the political power employed against them, we have learned in 11:7, is one called the Beast, who ascended out of the bottomless pit, 1:e., the abyss. Now, who, and what, is he? The question is answered in chap. 13:1-10. He is the ruler of the Roman empire in its latest form, which will be confined to the western, or Latin, part of the old empire; and the chief agent under him is another one, also called a Beast (13:11-18), who will endeavor to make all that he can reach worship the first Beast; those refusing to do that to be killed, and no one allowed to buy or sell unless he bear on his person the mark of the Beast. Rigorous, relentless persecution will be carried on. Will it succeed in extinguishing the faith ? No. For chap. 14:1-5 tells us of 144,000 who will appear at the end with the Lamb on Mount Zion, kept faithful by God throughout that awful period.

But the book is prophetical, not historical. So it speaks to those who will be here after the rapture of the saints, and would impress on them the need of keeping steadfast to the end. This is done, first, by the announcement of the preaching of the everlasting gospel to take place at that time by angelic agency, witnessing to all that the kingdom in power will come (14:6-7). Next, the certainty of judgment overtaking the impenitent is affirmed both by the announcement of Babylon's fall (8) and by the solemn warnings against apostasy, the snare for so many in that day. And if martyrdom should stare them in the face who were expecting millennial blessing on earth, they must not shrink from it. The patience of the saints will be tried, but faithfulness to the end is insisted upon, with the fullest encouragement not to give way. For a voice from heaven was heard by John, saying, "Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for (not " and ") their works do follow them " (9-13). Death to such will involve no loss. Then, to show the certainty of the Lord's return, and of judicial dealing on His part, we have mention of the harvest followed by the vintage (14-20).

One more prophetic scene completes this long parenthetic portion. We have read in 14:2 of harpers in heaven harping with their harps, and of a song sung which only those 144,000 on earth can learn. Then, also, of the blessedness of those who will then die in the Lord. Now we witness the reality of this, and see that Company with their harps (15:2-4) standing on the sea of glass. It is the company of those martyred under the Beast who sing a song in heaven which those only who have experienced a like persecution, short of death, can have part in. Here, then, the third parenthetic portion ends. Its importance, and help to the understanding of what had been referred to under the trumpets, all will, we think, perceive.

Passing by the outpouring of the vials, or bowls (15 :5 to 16 :21), the next parenthetic portion commences at 17:1, and ends at 19:10. It is occupied with the history of the whore, '' Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of earth," who is seen in this book in contrast to the true Church, the Bride of the Lamb. Of Babylon we have had mention in 14:8 and 16:19. Her history is now recounted, and her destruction by the apostate power foretold. Then follows a lamentation over her end by the kings and merchants of the earth (18). After which we learn, first, in what light her overthrow is regarded in heaven, and then have the announcement of the coming marriage of the Lamb (19 :1-10). Over Babylon's fall much people in heaven will rejoice (19:i), and the four-and-twenty elders and the four living creatures will thereupon fall down and worship (4). A voice, too, will come forth from the throne, saying, '' Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, small and great" (5). And then a wondrous anthem peals forth, "as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia:for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him:for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready" (6, 7). This parenthetic portion now ended, the chronological order of events connected with earth is resumed, and without further break runs right on to the eternal state (19 :11 to 21:8).

The Lord next appears in person, coming in power and great glory (11-18). The apostate power on earth is dealt with (19-21), and the devil shut up in the abyss* for a thousand years (20:1-3). *The abyss, or bottomless pit, is a distinct place in the universe, the prison-house of demons. To this the demons in Luke 8 :31 (see Rev. Ver.) referred. Out of it locusts come forth (Rev. 9 :2, 3). In it the devil will be confined. His being bound, then, is not merely moral, but actual:the place of his imprisonment being designated.*

The millennial reign commences, and all the heavenly saints, here mentioned under three classes,* live and reign with Christ, being sharers, and comprising all who do share, in the first resurrection. *The three classes the Revised Version makes plain. 1st, the elders, 1:e., Old Testament saints and Christians; 2d, those beheaded (6:9); 3d, those who had not worshiped the Beast (15).* Millennial times over, the devil will be let out of prison. The last attack on the saints upon earth will take place. God frustrates it, and the resurrection and final judgment of the ungodly dead follows (20:7-15).

Very rapid is this sketch, as the reader will perceive, for events mentioned elsewhere, as the judgment of the quick (Psa. 50; Matt. 25), as well as the inroad and destruction of the King of the North, and subsequently that of Gog of Ezekiel (38, 39), are passed over as outside the range of the seer's vision. Then he passes on to dwell a little more fully than has been done elsewhere on the eternal state, when God, as we read (i Cor. 15:28), shall be all in all. Beyond the beginning of the eternal state God's written revelation does not conduct us.

But now another, the last parenthetic portion, is met with (21:9-22:5). We have read of the marriage of the Lamb (19:7-9). We have read, too, of the New Jerusalem in the eternal state (21:2). We are now to learn about her in millennial times. Without this her history would not be complete. So her place at that time in relation to earth is disclosed, and her appearance too, when she will be displayed to all in heaven and on earth as the Lamb's wife, the dwelling place too of God-the holy temple and the metropolis of the kingdom. At some length is this dwelt upon, and that after the whore, with all her meretricious adornments, is seen to sink under divine judgment. Into this portion of Revelation we cannot here enter at length. Nor is it within the purpose of this paper to dwell on the concluding portion of the book, full of interest though it is, beyond pointing out that three times over within the compass of these verses (22:7-21) the Lord's coming is announced (7, 12, 20). With that hope to which the apostle John responded (20) the Revelation concludes, and with it the New Testament and the canon of Scripture are completed.

In closing this outline of the plan of the book, we would remind the reader that between the rapture of the saints and the appearing of Christ there will be three distinct judicial dealings of God connected with the seals, the trumpets, and the vials, the second following the first, and the third the second. There will be also two different testimonies raised up by God, and carried on through grace. The fruits of the first are seen in 6:9-7; and those of the latter in chap. 11; 14; 15. And two powers on earth, inveterate opponents to God, will meet with their doom. First, Babylon, the center of ecclesiastical corruption, will be destroyed. Then the apostate power under the guidance of the Beast and the false prophet will be dealt with by the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Much, therefore, must take place on earth after the Church has been caught up, though the time in which all this will be developed will necessarily be short. C. E. S.