/99/ The fourth and fifth chapters are on the same subject-- a revelation of the same things, and refer to the same period of time--the millennial age; and they should not have been divided as they are, into two chapters. They are not only speaking of things to come, the last event, the millennial age, but John, the Revelator, is, by the spirit of inspiration, living down in that time. And, instead of looking forward to the millennial age, he seems to have been, in spirit, living in it, and looking back--living in the spirit of inspiration away do``n beyond our day. But I have just said that, and my saying it is not worth much unless I have some proof for it. I have the proof in the first part, in the first verse, indeed, of the fourth chapter.

"After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter." "Come up" to the time. And John was brought up to the time he was describing, and he was looking back at all the history of the Christian dispensation; he was living in the millennial age in spirit. This door that was opened in heaven very beautifully represents the spirit of inspiration, from this fact, that it appeared to John as though the blue sky had separated and he looked beyond it. You know, and I do, that the sky that is over us is not a solid substance, as I, in my boyish days, used to think. We have learned by science and observation that it is only the /100/ end of natural vision. That is as far as natural vision reaches, and it looks blue. But John looked further than men could see naturally. He was inspired, and hence the door was opened to him further than men could see by their natural reasoning powers. (A word to the wise is enough.) And he was not only looking forward, but was invited to come forward to that period. And so he was, in spirit, living in the day when the four quarters of the world acknowledge Jesus, when the Jews and Gentiles, in ono grand family of the Lord, bow and worship together, and the four quarters say Amen to the worship that is going up from the united family of the Lord. It seems to me that I could almost shout, Amen! if the time were now present, and all the Lord's family were united and worshiping together with the "twenty-four elders."

But as John is living in the millennial age in the spirit of inspiration, he, of course, will tell us that there are many things to transpire before that time is reached; and in the first verse of the fifth chapter he says: "I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a little book written ;" not being written, not in prospect, but written because he was living, in the spirit, beyond the day we are living in, and the whole book was written within, and on the back side, and sealed with seven seals. not sealed on the former part, or the back part of the book; but written on the back part of it, and within, and the book sealed with seven seals ~all written now, at the time that John is describing the millennial age. What book? We may as well ask the question now as at any time. The history of the (Church, the history of the Christian dispensation, from the day that John was in Patmos, in the year ninety-six, and even before -I might say from the commencement of the Christian dispensation until the Lord comes was all written in that book. The history of the Christian dispensation until the millennial age ends--that is, until the /101/ coming of the Lord. It was sealed up, however, and no person knew the contents of that book. No one knew the history of the Church, of the Christian dispensation, or of the world, from the beginning to the end of it. From the beginning to the end of the Christian age, no man could read it. It was sealed up, and in the hand of the Almighty, who was on the throne.

He said there was some writing, on the back part of the book; and that is so clear that I need only state it. John w as in Patmos in the year ninety-six, and ninety-six years of the Christian dispensation had passed by when John saw this Vision in Patmos; and that much of the history of the Christian dispensation Noms on the back part of the book, was not scaled up; it w as a matter of history already, and on the outside. All men could read it without a seal being broken. About that part of the history there is not one word said in the opening of the seals, because it was already plain.

But what is in the future, from the days of John's exile until the time he seems, in spirit, to be living in? What is to take place between the year ninety-six of the Christian dispensation and that period when all the world will acknowledge the Lord, and the Jews and Gentiles in one united family will worship him? What mighty revolutions are to agitate the human family, and shake the powers of earth before that time comes?

"And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof ? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." One might say, "I do think I could have looked at it." No, you could not; it was a sealed book then, and no man in heaven could tell the history of Christ's kingdom from the day John saw the Vision until the millennial age is ushered in. They could not look at it. You try /102/ that little while, my brother, and you will understand this idea better. Look at the history of the future for a hundred years to come; single out some family, some town, or some city or county, and take a look at its history for a few years to come;--can you see it? So they could not look at the history of the Christian dispensation. That which was on the outside of the book--the ninety-six years past--they could look at; but that which was inside-- beyond the year ninety-six--they could not see or read. There was no man in heaven could do it; the angels did not know the history of the world--of the Church's conflicts. There was no man on earth who could give the history of the kingdom of heaven,, or the Christian dispensation, down to the days to which John had just called attention. But, brother, if they had only been as wise as some are now, they could have rapped up some spirit from the under world, and they would have all the information then, would they not? If they had had some medium there to rap and tap, and jabber and thump around a while, they would have found out all about it. Not quite. There was no one in the under world--under the earth--could tell.

John said, "I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me," (I will give you an opinion here, that John just called to mind what had been said to him at the commencement of this book of Revelation; that it was the revelation of Jesus Christ that he was about to make known; that Jesus understood it, and was about to make the whole matter plain. And he, as one of the elders, called to make that promise in the first chapter, and his tears dried up. It is his style to speak of himself in the third person; he does it in his gospel all the time, and does again here. He is only a representative--one of the apostles, a representative man; and as such, calls himself one of the elders. The elders /103/ only signify the twenty-four representative men of the Jewish nation and the Christian world--the whole family of the Lord really, as is stated in this chapter before I have done. And John dried up his tears when he remembered that the Lord had said that Jesus had the privilege of making it known. He said to himself): "Weep not; behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." To make the whole history clear, break open every seal, and let the Lord's people know what is certainly to come to pass. Some one said to me, I do not think the Lord's people all understand it. The professors do not all understand it, and it is only for the Lord's people; I have no idea that those who profess to be the Lord's people and are not, will or can understand it. It is intended for the Lord s people, not for false professors, or the ungodly world. Why should they (the Lord's people) understand it any more readily than the man whose mind is poisoned with the superstition of the dark ages, or the love of the world? From the fact that the Lord's people delight in his Word, they read it day and night, and meditate on it continually; and the Lord's people that love the truth and constantly engage in searching for it as a treasure, will come to understand all these things. Do not tell me that those w ho never study the Word of the Lord, or delight in it, and seldom read it, are the Lord's people. I do not believe it; they arc foolish virgins, and the Lord does not know them.

"And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts." These four beasts were all around and about the throne, und in the midst of it. They were the throne in one sense of the word." In the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb, as it had been slain, having seven horns." The word horn means power or strength, and /104/ seven being a full number, means he had a full amount of strength. And we said, on last night, that these seven horns and seven eyes are said to be the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. John saw seven candlesticks, and these seven candlesticks he says are the seven churches. Then the power Jesus exerts, all the power, let me say it, that the Son of the living God exerts on earth; all the watchful care he has over a ruined world is his Church; I mean as far as turning them to the Lord is concerned. That is a hard saying with some, but it makes no difference. Jesus says to the Church, to his disciples, "You are the light of the world, the salt of the earth." (The eyes of the Lord, the powers of the Lord.) Take the Church out of the world, and have no congregations of the Lord here, and how many would he enlightened or saved, do you think?

"And the Lamb cme and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.' And when he had taken the book, and when the whole matter is presented and clearly made known to the human family, is the time when the beasts bowed and worshiped. When he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors." What kind of odors? "Which are the prayers of saints." The elders and four beasts had the prayers or saints to offer. Do you think any being but a saint can offer a saint's prayer to God? They were saints, unless some dumb brute or demon could offer a saint's prayer to God; they must have been saints. And they sang, too, the beasts and elders-- the four quarters of the world and the Lord's whole family in the four quarters--they sang a new song, saying, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou west slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and /105/ nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." That is when all these beasts and elders--and they are the whole human family in the four quarters of the earth--acknowledge Jesus God's people united, bow and worship and offer the prayers of saints to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We had better not say that around the throne of God on high the beasts and elders bow and worship; we had better not use such an expression in our exhortations, sermons and prayers. They say they are to reign on the earth. They are of every kindred, tongue, people and nation, redeemed to God by the blood of Christ, and are to reign on the earth. Could any of you tell why wise men have slid they were angels up in heaven, while they themselves declare they are nations of men here on earth? Why the wise Bishop Newton and others have declared that they were some celestial beings, before the throne of God, while they declare they are saints on earth? It seems strange that wise men will dispute the plain Word of the Lord, does it not?

"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." The angels, when the whole earth is converted to the Lord, will join with the saints on earth in singing praises, and in praising the Son of God, "Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." He seems to have closed the account of the millennial age just here; and then sums up in these remarkable words:

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as arc in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying: blessing and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the /106/ throne, and unto the Lamb for ever anti ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth for ever and ever.'

The time has not come yet it is in the future. It is the millennial age John is talking about. Do you not all know that there are yet thousands and millions that do not even know the Lord Jesus? It will not always be so. Every sensible creature on earth will yet acknowledge him; and when this time comes, it is declared that the four beasts say, Amen; the four quarters of the earth, every nation under heaven, join in saying, Amen; and the four and twenty elders fall down and worship him that liveth for ever and ever. He had finished the description of the time when every creature, every nation on earth, every sensible being joins with the angels in praising the Lord, and the four beasts say, Amen. Let Jesus have the glory.

And when he has thus given this full account he commences a revelation of historic events, from the day of his exile on down to that time in which He was in spirit living.

"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals." Not that part of the book that was already past. Now commences the first event in the future after the year 96. I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer." Lend me your imagination. Look out with John beyond the blue ether and see the white horse coming. And on that white horse /107/ is a rider having a bow, and a crown being given to Him, placed on his head, and moving on conquering, and to conquer everything that stands in His way. That was the Vision, but what does it signify? That was the first link in the mighty chain of future events, from the day of John's exile to the millennial glory--the first seal of the future broken open. Says one, "I do not know what that white horse means.' One writer said it was the Roman empire; that there was no other power going forth conquering and to conquer but the Roman empire, when John saw the Vision. He might have been mistaken. Another writer thought very differently from this one. He thought it might be possible that the white horse meant Lord's preachers; there was considerable differences in the view`s of the two. But what does the word of Lord say on this subject? To the Bible we make our appeal, and I must lay down a rule by which to work; we must find out by the Bible itself the meaning of the Vision, or we never can know. I repeat, unless the Bible explains the Vision, no man can ever put his hand on his breast and say, "I know the meaning." Then the rule is to learn by the Bible the meaning of the Vision, or the hieroglyphics that John saw in the Vision, and that look for its historic fulfillment; we are left to grope in doubt and wonder. What is the scriptural definition of this white horse? Perhaps I may as well read it.

"In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot black horses, and in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, what are these my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, these are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth." Zechariah vi:2-5. This horse then signifies the /108/ prevailing spirit. And the Lord has not changed his definition since then; giving one to Zechariah and another to John. I saw the spirit prevailing thee,--a white one. It was some spirit going forth conquering and to conquer; but it was a white one. We have in the nineteenth chapter of the book of Revelation an account of this same white horse, and he that sat on him was Faithful and True, and his name is called the Word of God. It was the gospel Spirit that old John saw going forth with mighty power when the first seal was opened. It is the Lord's definition, not mine. The true and faithful Word of God. The Lord's people full of the Spirit of our divine Redeemer, pushing forward, spreading peace and righteousness in the first quarter of the world. For half a century it went forth, as history s page declares, conquering and to conquer everything that stood before it, until the pagan powers begin to totter and tremble in the first quarter of the world, and our attention is called to Asia Minor for this gospel triumph, the very first event in the future after John's seeing the Vision. It was a spirit of peace ad righteousness. White signifies peace in all nations, does it not? The white flag signifies peace in the army. White, not only signifies peace among the nations of earth, but righteousness in the Bible of God. How do I know? 'The Lord told me. He said, "The long white roses you see on them, is the righteousness of the saints." Then we have the Bible definition. It was a spirit of righteousness, the true and faithful Word going forth in first quarter of tho world, and with the voice of thunder Jesus asks us to look at its fulfilment. It is literally true, historically true, according to the Bible definition of the term.

"I saw when the Lamb opened the second seal,"--and another white horse came out? O, no! With the opening of the second seal we begin the next lecture.