Copyright, 1910, by Milton C. Wilcox "Let the Revelation speak and tell what is truth. . . . Uplift Jesus as the center of all hope."
Overcoming through Tribulation
N our last we considered the "Son of God," the One with the Father before the world was, the Son of God in the beginning in His very nature and essence. We learned a little of how His Sonship was disputed, how the Son of God emptied Himself of divine majesty, and demonstrated His right to all that God had given Him by His life in a flesh of sin. His work and sacrifice manifested and demonstrated the infinite and eternal love of God to the world, and His resurrection "determined Him to be the Son of God," the victor over sin and death. He ascended to the Father, and the portals of the eternal city opened to Him as the King of Glory. The power of His resurrection and His ascension was the power of His righteousness. The glory that He manifested was the forth-shining of the righteousness and love within. Possessing this power, clothed in this glory, the Man Child of the prophets sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Father,
Our Great High Priest
the Head over all things to the church, the Head of every man (see Rev. 12: 5, 10; Eph. 1: 20-23; Heb. 4: 14; 8: 1; 1 Cor. 11: 3), the all in all to every believing child of God. And then the great voice in heaven speaks of the victory of Christ and the time of the beginning of His priesthood.
The Answer of the Text
[The answers to the questions are from the American Revised Version. Omitting questions, and disregarding sometimes the capital at the beginning and the period at the close of an answer, the text may be read continuously. In notes and comments both versions are used without designation.]
1. What came to the universe in consequence of Christ's victory?
And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.
2. What did this mean as regards the devil?
For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night.
3. How were God's children affected thereby?
And they overcame him [the devil] because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.
4. How did the devil's casting down affect the dwellers in heaven?
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
5. How did his fall affect the earth?
Wo for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
6. What did the dragon proceed to do?
And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child.
7. What did Providence do for the woman?
And there were given to the woman the two wings of the 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.
8. What efforts did the serpent put forth?
And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream.
9. How was the woman helped?
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
10. What is the last warfare of the dragon?
And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus.
Note and Comment
1. AND THEY OVERCAME.—Verse 10 was considered in our last, but as there intimated, the Son of God did not win His victory for Himself. He overcame in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth, that He might overcome in the flesh of every soul who would yield to Him and by faith let His mighty power be manifest in them. Faith connects the child of weakness with infinite power. The trolley of the electric car connects with the LIVE wire overhead; it brings the power flowing in that overhead channel down to the receptive car, and makes the car a thing of power and motion. From the great Fountain of Life flow over the great streams of life to all the universe of God. Faith reaches up and forms the open channel by which that life may flow into the person of the believer in its own normal way, and thus makes him a living man. The blood represents the life (Lev. 17: 11); the blood of the Lamb represents the life of Jesus Christ, which He has given in Himself, in His Word, and in all His words for every soul. Faith appropriates the life and lives.
But to receive of Christ's life is not alone sufficient for overcoming, for perfecting of character. It is not the law of God's life to ever receive and never give. That were but selfish.
God's law of overcoming comprehends giving as well as receiving. Abram was blessed that he might be a blessing. Gen. 12: 2. The sun shines, the trees grow, the flowers bloom, the rain falls, the brook gurgles its way through grassy meads,—not for themselves, but for blessings to others. God revealed His Son in Paul that Paul might preach Him among the heathen. Gal. 1: 16. And so God has chosen all His people that they "should show forth the virtues of Him who called" them "out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2: 9. Therefore they overcame, not only by the blood of the Lamb, but "by the word of their testimony." The same truth is thus stated by another: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness [faith appropriates the power of Christ's righteous life]; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation [the believer permits that life to work out in him the virtues of Jesus Christ]." Rom. 10: 10. There are no dead Christians. A lighted lamp in an air-tight receptacle soon burns dim and low, and dies; and he who would selfishly shut the love and grace and blessing of God up in his own selfish heart, would so prevent God's life that it would become death. The healing medicine would become a virulent poison. The normal life of the Christian is shining, living, confessing, blessing. "Freely ye have received, freely give."
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EVEN UNTO DEATH.—The spirit in all Christian life is the spirit of love, as expressed in the latter part of the verse, the whole of which we quote once more: "And they overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death." Bought and nourished by the life of the Lamb, receiving it ever fresh, because ever giving, by simply witnessing the word given them, they value their own life as naught compared with His life. His life is love. The love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, which is given to the child of faith; and as Christ gave His life in love for them, so all who are truly His give their lives in word and deed, yea, even to death if He but call them, for the love they bear to Him and other purchase of His blood. The life of the Christian is love, and God's love is life.
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2. REJOICE . . . WO.—Everlasting rejoicing in heaven; wo for a little time upon the earth! Rejoicing among the angels that Michael their Prince was triumphant, that Lucifer's character was unmasked, that they were saved from his deceiving power, that God's character was vindicated by the power of everlasting righteousness, and that sin and the accuser were forever debarred from heaven! Wo to the inhabitants of the earth for yet a little while! Previous to our Lord's victory, Satan planned, plotted, longed, hoped, to destroy Him as he had the first Adam, and to destroy the race. His great power and subtle craft were bent to that end. While he tempted and warred against God's people, his mightiest efforts were to destroy the Man in whom rested the hope of the world. In this he failed. Wherein he dealt proudly, even in death itself, the Lord was above him. He conquered Satan in his own realm. Conquered7by Christ, Satan turns his baffled and hellish rage against those who believe in Christ. He will use every power and device of which he is capable, to prevent souls from believing, and to destroy the faith and influence of those who do believe. He will deceive, misinterpret, falsify, pervert, persecute. O inhabitants of earth, the devil has come down unto you! He knows that the Christ of God is beyond his power; he will prevent you from obtaining that birthright which Christ has purchased for you. He feels that as Christ conquered, so may the word be fulfilled that he himself shall be destroyed (Eze. 28: 18, 19); but before that time he will, so far as in him lies, during the last days of his existence, during the short time that remains, destroy as many of Christ's followers as his diabolical ingenuity and Satanic power make possible. He may even hope that he will still tempt Christ to depart from the principle, Right is might. True, Christ did not do that in all the temptations and cruelty against Himself; but Christ loves His people even more than He loved Himself. Is it not possible that Satan can tempt Him to strike before the time at the injustice and oppression and cruelty and wrong of Satan's agents? — No; Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and all the days to come; so while Satan may bring his "manifold temptations" (1 Peter 1: 6), God gives His "manifold wisdom" (Eph. 3: 10) and "manifold grace" (1 Peter 4: 10) to meet the "manifold temptations."
3. PERSECUTED THE WOMAN.— These persecutions began immediately after the resurrection of Christ. It was but a little while and the devoted Stephen sealed his testimony with his blood. Acts 7: 54-60. Persecution extended to the whole church, led by the zealous, energetic, but misguided Saul. Acts 8: 1-4. But while the persecution scattered the people of God, and forced them, mayhap, from comfortable homes and pleasant surroundings, it also scattered the truth of God. Within the space of a dozen years one of the chief of the apostles — James — gave his life as a witness to Christ. Acts 12: 1, 2. As the truth spread, and its power was manifest, Satan stirred up the devotees of the false gods of pagan Rome, and cruel persecution followed. It was given to the children of God to choose between the good and the evil — the persecution with God's approval, or relief from it with the approval of man. With the persecution from the Jews, it was to renounce Christ for dead traditions. With the idolaters it was Jehovah or Jove, Jesus or Apollo, Christ or Diana. It needed oftentimes but a word, the sprinkling of a few grains of incense, a bowing of the head, a refraining from doing a Christian act, to save one from cruellest persecution; but the child of God could not conscientiously submit to do an act, or conscientiously refrain from doing one act, which might SEEM to deny Christ.
By Nero, who accused the Christians of setting fire to Rome, they died, according to Tacitus, "in torments, and their torments were embittered by insult and derision. Some were nailed on crosses; others sewn in the skin of wild beasts, and exposed to the fury of dogs; others again, smeared over with combustible materials, were used as torches to illuminate the darkness of the night." Under Trajan and his governor, Pliny, others were put to death. And in fact, persecution continued, to a greater or less extent, under pagan Rome. The worst of the persecutors among the emperors were Nero, Marcus Aurelius, Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian, the worst of all. Many under his reign were burned alive, in some cases whole congregations perished in their churches, and "droves of them," says Haydn, "were bound together with ropes and driven into the sea."
Why Persecuted
The cause of all these persecutions — of every persecution by law — was a union of religion with the State, or a legalized religion. It was as enemies to the Roman State, whose duty it was to uphold the honor of the gods, that Christians were persecuted. Pagan Rome did not call it persecution, but the simple execution of Roman laws, demanded by the oath of office and the honor of the State. Behind it all, even as he had been behind the death of Christ, was Satan, the old dragon, and pagan Rome was but one of his heads through which he uttered his persecuting decrees.
Worse persecutions were to follow. Paganism had become old. The gods had multiplied till they had become a burden, and unbelief was fostered by the multiplication. Gods were so common as to be of no account. The devotees of such a religion did not put enough zeal and perverted conscience into their persecutions to suit his Satanic majesty, the mover behind the scenes. He would pervert Christianity, connect it to the State, and operate through that. This he did for the period of time indicated in verses 6 and 14.
4. THE WOMAN.—The church militant still left to struggle against a mighty, persistent, cruel foe, but with her strong divine Son to aid her. TWO WINGS OF AN EAGLE. — Recalling the language in Ex. 19: 4; Deut. 32: 11; and Isa. 63: 9. It is indicative of God's power to save and preserve His people. It also recalls the fourth living creature, the flying eagle, representing one of God's great agencies, a division of His hosts to save. WILDERNESS.— Symbolic of desolation caused by the great apostasy. See Jer. 12: 10. During the centuries of superstition the desolate condition and outward poverty of God's people sometimes saved them. Sometimes they found refuge in mountain fortresses and deserted places of the earth. Sometimes they were preserved because of factions in the apostate church, which was a veritable wilderness of error and spiritual barrenness. But in all this, God preserved His people. The place prepared of God, preserved the remnant of the faithful.
A TIME — one year; TIMES, dual, two times or two years; and HALF A TIME, half a year; totaling three and one half years; forty-two months, at thirty days to the month, would make 1,260 days, a period noted in Dan. 7: 25; Rev. 12: 6, 14; 13: 5; 11: 2, 3, expressed in 1,260 days and forty and two months. Each of these days represents a year according to the prophetic rule in Eze. 4: 4, 6; Num. 14: 34. These days began with the elevation of the bishop of Rome as "head over all the churches" and "true and only corrector of heretics" according to the decree of Justinian, issued in A.D. 533, becoming more fully operative in 538. This space marks the beginning of that long prophetic period, the ending of which occurred 1793-8, at the time of the French Revolution and the overthrow of the Papacy. During this long period fierce persecution was waged against God's children; but through and out of the fearful furnace God preserved His faithful ones, and will save those who fell in death for Him.
5. FLOOD OF WATER.— The flood of water from the mouth of the serpent is a fitting symbol of the corruptions of the truth of God, and the persecutions waged against those who cherished that truth, during that dark period. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." Isa. 59: 19. This was done by the Reformation of the sixteenth century, and the persecution was stayed by the opening of new and unexplored regions of the earth, as in America, and the abolition of persecuting laws, as in England, Germany, and Austria.
6. THE EARTH HELPED THE WOMAN. — The powers of earth, and also regions hitherto unknown, in contradistinction to sea, a symbol of the organized nations of earth. It is a notable fact that the ceasing of persecution was coincident with the decree of toleration in Austria by Maria Theresa, and with the Declaration of Independence in America — 1776. The New World became the asylum for the faithful and oppressed, who preferred to brave the perils of the unknown wilderness and the cruelty of hostile savages to the religious tyranny and bondage of the Old World.
7. THE DRAGON WAS WROTH.— Persecution did not cease with that of the Dark Ages. As the end nears, and the Gospel message goes forth to the world, calling the attention of men to the falsehood of traditions and the rubbish of error, and holding up the light of the truth of God to prepare men for Christ's coming, it stirs again the wrath of Satan. The remnant of anything is the last of that thing. The remnant of the seed of the woman is composed of the last of her seed, the rest of her children, the last church on the earth. That church has two prominent characteristics; it keeps the commandments of God, hence, all of them, and thus honors Him; and it holds the testimony of Jesus (the spirit of prophecy, Rev. 19: 10), and is thereby warned of Satan's devices. The last church will be a persecuted church, but in it is wrought the righteousness of God, and righteousness is life everlasting.
