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That the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and effusion of the seventh vial are contemporaneous, and pertain to the very same events is quite manifest from a comparison of them with each other.

THE SEVENTH

TRUMPET-ch. xi. 15. "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his

Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

16." And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God.

17. "Saying, Saying, we give thee thanks, O Lord God Al

mighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

18." And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the

VIAL-ch. xvi.

17. "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18. "And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19. "And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20. "And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21. "And there fell upon men a great hail out of hea

TRUMPET.

prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth.

VIAL.

ven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great."

19. "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake, and great hail."

Though it will be impossible for uninspired man to give the specific application of these symbols until the occurrence of the events to which they relate, nevertheless, the signification of the symbols themselves is sufficiently plain. Almost every one of them, having occurred before in some or more of the preceding trumpets and vials, has been explained; and taking together the contents of the seventh trumpet and of the seventh vial, it is quite plain that they exhibit the completion of the judgments compendiously announced on the opening of the sixth seal, which, as I have already observed, comprises all of the three last or woe-trumpets, and their concurrent vials. The overthrow of the enemies of Christ, completed by the judgments of the sixth seal, the last of which, as I have said, are more fully developed in the last trumpet and vial, is necessarily contemporaneous with the commencement of the triumphant establishment of the purified church. Of two mutually opposed combatants the defeat of one is the triumph of the other. Accordingly, on the sounding of the se

venth trumpet the saints in Heaven glorify God for the commencement of the reign of Christ upon earth; and, on the effusion of the seventh vial, a voice out of the temple of heaven proclaims, It is done!—the conflict, between Christ on the one part, and the powers of Antichrist on the other, is now overthe dense smoke of erroneous doctrine which, by filling for so many ages the christian church, so that no man is able to enter into the temple, has had the effect of shutting it, is now expelled from it, and consequently the temple of God is opened in heaven, and there is seen in his temple the ark of his testament

-the whole system of divine Providence, as re

corded in the holy Scriptures, is at length fully and plainly understood and taught in the church now triumphant and purified--to use, with profound reverence, a figure somewhat bold, it is true, but which I, assuredly, would not use if I believed it to be unauthorised, the Divine Majesty will be seen in His temple seated on His mercy-seat, on the ark, between the two cherubim, emblematic representatives of His two dispensations, mosaic and christian.*

* It is quite plain that the ark of God's testament can not be seen in His heavenly temple while the temple is filled with smoke so that no man can enter into it.-Now we are expressly told (Rev. xv. 8.) that the temple shall be so filled till the seven plagues of the seven angels shall be fulfilled. But it is declared that on the sounding of the seventh trumpet the ark is seen in the temple-consequently the effusion of six of the seven vials must have preceded the sounding of the seventh trumpet, wherewith the effusion of the seventh vial must be contemporaneous.

From the portion of the apocalyptic prophecy, included in this (xi.) chapter, we can collect that the great prophetic period of 1260 years was drawing towards its conclusion when the french revolution exploded-that at the final termination of that period the present depression of the christian church,pictured in various figures, such as its conflict with the powers of Antichrist, its prophesying in sackcloth, and in other symbols- -will cease for ever, and that the same great era will be marked by the restoration of the Jews to divine favor, consequent, no doubt, on their reception of the gospel of Christ.

The state of blessedness which,--immediately after the events of the seventh trumpet and seventh vial shall have proclaimed the termination of the great prophetic period,――will begin to spread progressively over the whole earth, is fully set forth in the last four chapters of this prophecy, which comprise, as I have before observed, the symbols pertaining to the seventh seal; previous to the exhibition of which some other explanatory visions, contained in the little book, are shewn to the prophet.

CHAP. XII.

1. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

2. "And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3. "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

4. "And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5. "And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6. "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8. "And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9. "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12. "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13. "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

14. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great

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