The eighth chapter opens with silence in heaven for the space of half an hour, prophetic time, seven days. But one such time is mentioned when there are no angels in heaven singing praise and glory to God: this is when Christ comes to gather His saints. Verses 3–5 refer to the last work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. Four of the seven trumpets are mentioned in this chapter. These trumpets were fulfilled in the breaking up of the Roman Empire, and were judgments of God upon that nation because they rejected light and put to death the Son of God. The northern barbarians formed independent kingdoms in the territory of the Roman kingdom. Some of the leaders of the three tribes made their war almost exclusively upon land, while one was naval in his operations. In 330 A. D. the capital was removed from Rome to Constantinople. In 337, the three sons of Constantine took the three divided portions of the empire, and this explains the expression “third part.” The chapter closes by pronouncing three woes on the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the three voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound. The ninth chapter is the historical account of the downfall of restored Persia and of the Mohammedans to the close of their independence. Their history may be divided into three parts. First, when they had no regular organization, but consisted of tribes and hordes, which made sudden dashes on what was the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, and then as suddenly retired. This history is given in the first four verses. Verses 5–12 give their history under an organized government, yet they were not able to overthrow the Greek Empire. Othman organized and founded what was known as the Ottoman Empire. He first entered the territory of Nicomedia, July 27, 1299. This state of things continued for one hundred and fifty years, during which time they tormented the Greek Empire. The figurative expressions, which speak of their warfare during this time, had their fulfillment both in their effect upon the people and in their mode of warfare. They were properly termed destroyers. Verses 13–21 contain an account of the sixth trumpet, which began to sound at the expiration of the fifth trumpet, July 27, 1449 A. D. It continued until Aug. 11, 1840. Their independency as an empire continued three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days. This brings us to the time referred to in chapter 10, when the mighty angel came down from heaven clothed with a cloud, having in his hand a little book opened. He bore the special message that time would be no more. This message was the prophecy of Daniel that had been sealed until the time of the end. Daniel 12. It went by land and sea. After the prophetic period passed, as they supposed, in the spring of 1844, there came the fulfillment of the experience recorded in Rev. 10:9, 10. Upon the re-examination of the prophetic period, they found that it continued six months into the following year; and while they looked forward to the tenth day of the seventh month, they enjoyed the sweetness of expecting their Lord; and when it passed, they experienced the bitterness. At this time in the autumn of 1844 the seventh angel sounded, and the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in the temple the ark of His testament. Rev. 11:19. In this ark were the Ten Commandments, which are compared to the reed in chapter 11. This is to measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship therein. As the people applied it to their own character, they saw that they were breaking the Fourth Commandment. Upon examining the Scriptures, they found there was no foundation for First-day observance. This led them to confess their sins, which lodged upon this altar, and were forgiven by Christ in His last mediatorial work. The court is this world, which was not measured at the time the worshipers were measured. There was now a resetting of the gospel truths to prepare the people for the second coming of Christ. The apostle then takes up the two witnesses, the Old and the New Testament. France, one of the ten kingdoms, rejected the light of the Reformation. The result was the French Revolution just before 1798. The period of time referred to by that terrible condition of things was three and one-half years. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bible societies were organized, liberty of conscience was granted, and the light of the Bible has gone throughout the world. The seventh angel’s trumpet covers the entire period from the beginning of the investigative judgment until the establishment of the kingdom of God. Chapters 12, 13, and 14 are intimately connected. These three chapters bring to view the dragon, the Beast, and the two-horned Beast, and the warning of the Third Angel’s Message against the worship of these powers. The first four verses of chapter 14 tell of the triumph of the people of God as they come out of this conflict and stand upon Mount Zion. The dragon, which is said to be Satan, was pagan Rome, which sought to destroy Christ: it was Satan who moved upon Herod to put Christ to death. Paganism was the chief agent to make war upon Christ and His people through the first centuries of the Christian era. Then it assumed the form of the papacy, and the work was carried forward. The Beast with the lamb-like horns also spoke like a dragon; he was seen coming up when the Beast went into captivity in 1798. He says to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an Image to the Beast that had a wound by a sword and did live. In enforcing this worship they not only worship the Beast before it, but they worship the dragon, which was merged in the first Beast. This worship is sun-worship. At a very early date, Satan began to turn the minds of the people to worship the sun, and for nearly six thousand years the sun has been worshiped in some form. But the message warns against the worship of the sun. Whether it be the worship of the Parsee, praying with his face toward the sun; the idolatry of paganism; or the worship of the Image representing the papacy, in observing the first day of the week as a day of worship in its honor,—all is forbidden. God’s people will keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus. Those who reject this warning will drink of the unmixed wrath of God.