Just as Christianity takes its root in the Jewish dispensation and as Judaism takes root in the preceding ages, so does the "age to come" take root in the present. Coming events cast their shadows before. It is, for this reason that prophecies of future events are often interpreted as fulfilled before the time for such fulfillment. For instance, Jews interpret their prophecy concerning the virgin birth (Isa. 7:14) as fulfilled in the birth of the prophet's son. Their prophecies concerning the sufferings of Christ, like Isa. 53rd, they interpret as fulfilled in the suffering Israel.

      So, too, many interpret prophecies concerning the age to come as being fulfilled in this present age. While though there are many tribulations preceding the great tribulation, many wars preceding the great battle of Armageddon, many antichrists preceding the Anti-christ and many times of peace preceding the millennium of peace, yet none of these should be considered more than precursors of the real things foretold.

      Therefore, if, for instance, the second seal denotes war and bloodshed it does not follow that the present war, or any in the past, is to be considered as the fulfillment of that prophecy. Any [17] famines, present or past, need not be accepted as fulfilling the third seal prophecy. There are lacking in all historical events the marks necessary to their identification with the things the prophet saw. One or two points of similarity are not sufficient for such identification.

      Jesus' prophecy, concerning the destruction of the Jewish temple has been fulfilled. One stone was not left upon another. The Bible does not tell us that the prophecy has been fulfilled, but we know it has been. The fulfillment is the exact counterpart of the prophecy, a thing which cannot be said of the alleged fulfillments of the seals and trumpets.

      The prophets foretold that the Christ should be born of a virgin, and it was so, that He was to be born in Bethlehem, and so He was. To be called out of Egypt and a Nazarene, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and He was. Despised and rejected of men, betrayed for silver and slain for sin, in like fulfill prophecies given in the same phraseology, Therefore, we should consider a prophecy as, awaiting fulfillment so long as its alleged fulfillment is not its counterpart. We had best consider the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments all as yet future. They have not yet met their fulfillment.

      Neither do we consider that the beasts or the Mystery of Babylon of Revelation can yet be seen in their maturity in which John saw them. From the explanation of Chapter 17 the first beast of Revelation is a kingdom composed of seven successive heads and finally of ten contemporary kingdoms under an eighth head, or, as per Daniel 7:8 an eleventh horn, that is, a king diverse from all the rest so described as clearly to identify him as the man of sin (II Thes. 2:1-12) the lawless one, the son of perdition who "opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped," the Anti-Christ which is to come, the one whom, coming in his own name, they will believe. It is very clear that the man of sin, the lawless one, is a person rather than a system. He is a king who shall put down three kings (Dan. 7:24), that is, three of the ten, the remainder of whom shall briefly reign with and under him. He is the son of perdition and shall go into perdition. for the Lord Jesus shall slay him with the breath of His mouth "at His coming" (II Thes. 2:8). He will, therefore, be on the earth and in the zenith of his power when Jesus comes with His glorified saints [18] (II Thes. 1:10; Rev. 19:11-21), when he shall be brought to nought by the manifestation of His coming (II Thes. 2:8) and cast into hell (Rev. 19:20; Dan. 7:11). This beast, therefore, possesses all the marks of a person, a man whom Satan clothes with great power for the "short time" he is to continue (Rev. 12:12, 12:6, 12:14, 13:5; Dan. 7:25), and through whom he makes one last desperate effort to defeat God. This beast is not a pope or line of popes, but a king--the last king until He in His own times shall show who is the blessed and only Potentate, the Kings of kings and Lord of Lords. (I Tim. 6:15.)

      The second beast of Revelation (13:11) is the false prophet of the following chapters and the term beast is no longer applied to him after Chapter 13. The first beast of this chapter and first mentioned in Chapter 11 is the beast To identify the second beast with the false prophet compare 13:14 with 19:20.

      The Babylon of Revelation, in her maturity, no doubt includes Catholicism in its final stage and Protestantism as well, all in one system under one head. The trend of present-day movements is unmistakably in that direction. A world church united with a world state is within easy range of possibilities as soon as the, salt has lost its savor. Even while Babylon is in her formative period it is in order for God's people to come out of her. She is a doomed city. Don't pitch your tent toward Babylon.

["Studies in Revelation--Review." Word and Work 8 (December 1915): 17-19.]

      The electronic version of Stanford Chambers' "Studies in Revelation--Review" has been produced from microfilm of Word and Work for 1915.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained; however, corrections have been offered for misspellings and other accidental corruptions. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 p. 17:     battle of Armagedon, [ battle of Armageddon,
            preceding the milennium [ preceding the millennium
 p. 18:     who "opposeth" [ who "opposeth
 p. 19:     and only Potenate, [ and only Potentate,
            beast of Revelations [ beast of Revelation
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 20 February 2002.
Updated 28 June 2003.